MedRecruit consultant Hayley Kyte, of Lake Hayes Estate, near Queenstown, was announced as one of four chip-loving New Zealanders whose flavours were selected from more than 28,000 entries.
The Bluebird "Do Us A Flavour" competition finalists will be put to a national-sales and online vote.
The winner will scoop $20,000 and 2% of sales for as long as the flavour is sold, while the three runners-up will receive $5000 each.
Miss Kyte this week said she invented her flavour, "cheesy garlic bread", on a whim while on the internet. She felt optimistic the chip-loving public would embrace the savoury sensation over rival finalist flavours, "butter chippin', paua fritters with lemon wedges, and Sunday roast (the crispy bits left in the pan)".
"I thought about flavours which would make a good chip and I thought cheesy garlic bread was the thing you would eat in a certain mood, as when you eat chips, so I combined the two."
Miss Kyte surprised her colleagues this week when she handed out sample packets, only for them to see her name, location and photograph on the back.
She had sampled her invention and said it was quite a subtle version of its namesake.
"It's really moreish. You could eat a whole heap of these without getting sick of them."
When asked what she would do with $20,000, Miss Kyte said: "My boyfriend seems to think there's a boat out there with Cheesy Garlic Bread on it, but I'm pretty heavily motivated by holidays, so maybe a combination of both."
Head judge and chef Al Brown said in a statement the flavour was a "no-brainer" for the nation.
"For all the fancy ciabatta, crusty sour dough and focaccia breads, cheesy garlic bread has been New Zealand's favourite posh bread through the decades."
The finalist flavours will be available from supermarkets, petrol stations and dairies across New Zealand from about September 20.
